Making our way to Vineman - Day 1

Guy and me, making cute for the camera, at Crater Lake. 

Eleven hours on the road - thus begins the first leg of the journey to Vineman. Hundreds of miles of strip malls, pastures, hills and plains along I-5 before we made the turn southeast at Roseburg, Ore., to meet Highway 138 and the road to Crater Lake.

There is nothing quite like driving on a near-deserted country road on a summer's day. Lush green forest providing some lovely shade, breaking periodically to offer views of the white water on the Umpqua River. And then finally, we reach the lake - created by the massive explosion of Mt. Mazama, now filled with centuries of rain water and snow melt, a cerulean gem at 6,000 feet.

Megan and Cody strike a fetching pose.

After a lovely visit around the east rim, stopping to feed the wildlife (bad Guy!) and enjoy the view, we made our way to Klamath Falls to fuel up, spend the night and prepare for our next, shorter leg into the Golden State.